Looking to build on a successful 2011 season that included a trip to the playoffs, the Bengals started fast in 2012, winning three of their first four games. A four-game losing streak followed, but Cincinnati then reeled off wins in seven of its final eight games, tying the 1981 Super Bowl Bengals for the best second-half record in a 16-game season, to secure a Wild Card playoff berth.

Despite the season-ending momentum and facing a Houston team that struggled down the stretch, the Bengals suffered a 19-13 loss to the Texans in the AFC Wild Card playoff.

The second-half surge was fueled by the defense, which rose from 20th to sixth in the NFL in fewest yards allowed per game over the final eight games. The Bengals also finished third in the NFL in sacks with a club-record 51, just one behind co-leaders Denver and St. Louis.

Individually, the Bengals were led on defense by defensive tackle Geno Atkins, who established a team season record for sacks by an interior lineman with 12.5, shattering the previous mark of 8.0 held by Dan Wilkinson (1995). Defensive end Michael Johnson fell just a sack behind Atkins with a career-high 11.5, nearly doubling his previous high of 6.0. College free agent Vontaze Burfict, undrafted after being ballyhooed at times as a potential first-round talent, led the team with 174 tackles, including a team season-high 23 in the season finale vs. Baltimore.

On the offensive side, the Bengals were once again led by second-year standouts, quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green. With 27 touchdown passes in 2012, Dalton joined Hall of Famer Dan Marino and future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning as the only players in NFL history to hit 20 or more TD passes in each of their first two seasons. With 11 TDs on the season, all on receptions, Green finished tied for second in the AFC in receiving scores and fourth in the AFC with 97 receptions. Green also set a franchise record within a single season with at least one touchdown reception in nine straight games (Games 2-10), surpassing the mark of eight by T.J. Houshmandzadeh in 2007.

The Bengals special teams also had an impressive season led by punter Kevin Huber, who set club season records with a 46.6-yard gross punting average and 42.0 net average. Huber also had 33 punts inside the 20, fourth-best in the NFL.

The Bengals captured seven weekly or monthly AFC awards bestowed by the NFL, the most in franchise history. The 1988 and 1989 teams had six.

» The Bengals had consecutive playoff seasons for the first time since 1981-82.

» The Bengals were the only NFL team in 2012 not to allow a TD on an opponent's first possession of the game, and offensively the Bengals tied Atlanta for the league high with seven TDs on their 16 opening possessions.

» Cincinnati's longest scrimmage gainer in 2012 was a 73-yard TD pass out of the "Wildcat" formation on Sept. 23 at Washington, with rookie WR Mohamed Sanu taking a shotgun snap and throwing to WR A.J. Green.

» The Bengals ranked 11th in the NFL in team punt return average (10.4), and for the first time since 1983, they had two punt returners with more than 20 returns. CB Adam Jones had 26, and WR Brandon Tate had 21. Jones finished seventh in the NFL with an 11.6-yard average, and Tate had an 8.9-yard average.

» Kicker Mike Nugent tied the franchise record with a 55-yard field goal vs. Oakland on Nov. 25.

» En route to a career-best 1094 rushing yards in 2012, Bengals RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis had 100-plus yards in four of five games from Games 10-14, a Bengals accomplishment not previously turned in since the inaugural season of 1968.

» CB Leon Hall returned interceptions for touchdowns in two of the final three games including the Wild Card playoff. Including regular season and postseason, Hall is the first Bengal with two INTs for scores since 1983, when CB Ken Riley had two in the regular season.